Importance of Tighter Restrictions on Guns

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Working thesis: The lax gun laws in the United States disproportionately impact marginalized communities, which experience higher rates of gun violence. Therefore, tighter restrictions on firearms are necessary to protect the most vulnerable among us.
Reeping, Paul M., et al. “State Gun Laws, Gun Ownership, and Mass Shootings in the US: Cross-Sectional Time Series.” BMJ, vol. 364, no. 1542, Mar. 2019, pp. 1–6, https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l542.
Reeping et al.'s (2019) study provide a valuable contribution to the limited body of research on the impact of state gun laws and gun ownership on mass shootings in the United States. Their cross-sectional time series analysis provides a comprehensive view of the topic. Their findings indicate that more permissive gun laws and higher rates of gun ownership are linked to higher rates of mass shootings. While the study is commendable for its breadth and use of multiple covariates and time series analysis, some limitations should be considered. For instance, the measure used to classify states as restrictive or permissive has not been validated, and potential under-reporting in the data set could skew the results. Despite these concerns, Reeping et al.'s work provides essential insights and a strong foundation for future research.
Morral, Andrew. “Perspective | What the Research Says about Gun Laws.” Washington Post, 27 May 2022, /outlook/2022/05/27/gun-research-social-science/.
In his opinion piece, Andrew R. Morral synthesizes a variety of research to argue for stricter gun laws in the United States. Morral's perspective is informed by his role in leading the RAND Corporation's Gun Policy in America initiative, which has analyzed the effectiveness of 18 different gun laws. While Morral acknowledges that the evidence is not always conclusive, he does make a compelling case for specific policies, such as child access prevention (CAP) laws, which have been shown to decrease injuries and deaths among youths. Morral's critique of "Stand your ground" laws is also persuasive, as he points to research suggesting that such laws may increase firearm homicides. Overall, Morral's piece strongly argues the importance of evidence-based policy-making regarding gun control.
Cook, Philip J., and John J. Donohue. “Saving Lives by Regulating Guns: Evidence for Policy.” Science, vol. 358, no. 6368, Dec. 2017, pp. 1259–61, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aar3067.
Philip J. Cook and John J. Donohue's article is a valuable contribution to the field of gun regulation. They address several important topics, such as the impact of right-to-carry laws, the Lautenberg Amendment, and the efficacy of add-on sentencing laws. Reviewing recent studies, the authors demonstrate that a growing body of evidence suggests that stricter gun regulation can reduce gun violence. While they emphasize the need for further research, their overview of existing findings is persuasive and compelling. The article is particularly noteworthy for its critical assessment of the work of Lott and Mustard, whose research has been influential in the gun regulation debate but has not been supported by subsequent stu...